


A different kind of Nightmare

by Rainbowknight_2



Category: Jurassic World (2015)
Genre: Angst, Anxiety, Blood, Comfort, Cuddles, Death, Depression, M/M, Nightmares, Parental Abuse, Rejection, Survivor Guilt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-23
Updated: 2015-09-23
Packaged: 2018-04-23 00:41:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,135
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4856618
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rainbowknight_2/pseuds/Rainbowknight_2
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>One-shot inspired by TinyTardis fic ‘No one said this would be easy’<br/>Gray died and Zach has a nightmare</p>
            </blockquote>





	A different kind of Nightmare

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [No One Said This Would Be Easy](https://archiveofourown.org/works/4547343) by [TinyTARDIS](https://archiveofourown.org/users/TinyTARDIS/pseuds/TinyTARDIS). 



His heart was beating in his throat. His legs started to cramp but he couldn’t stop. If he stopped, he’d be dead. Suddenly the little hand slipped from his. Adrenaline and instinct had already taken him a few feet ahead before he registered what that meant.

Gray had tripped and now the Indominus was hovering above him, yellow eyes filled with a hideous desire to kill. Time seemed to slow down. Zach picked up a rock and threw it at the nightmarish creature. It hit the beast square in her eye. She backed up a few steps as she let out a deafening roar, howling with pain. Gray scrambled to his feet and together they ran again.

They jumped into the cool water below, just as the Indominus’ jaws snapped shut above them. They stayed submerged until their lungs burned. When they crawled onto the muddy bank the Indominus had given up the chase. Descending would be too dangerous for such a big creature, especially when there was bigger game around. She could smell it.

Later that day, they watch in horror and fascination as Blue and Old Lady Rex fought tag-team against the Indominus. It was a flurry of chaos, teeth and claws, the earth shaking beneath them from their heavy footsteps, rubble falling all around them.

Suddenly the Mosasaur jumped out of the water, grabbing the Indominus like a killer whale does a seal, and dragged it down to the depths. Her cries sounded something like whimpers and pleading growls. If she wasn’t so vicious and cruel, the small group of humans would have almost felt sorry for her.

Blue and Lady Rex made small bow to each other, a sign of respect. Owen said goodbye to Blue and that was that. A little later, they were waiting in the terminal for the next ferry to pick them up. Lowery had joined them after opening all the cages. The park was finished. Again. And the animals deserved to be free rather than starve and die in their cages.  
Zach was hugging Gray, overjoyed that they made it out alive. And then he woke up.

He pushed the covers off and ran to the bathroom. Head above the loo, he retched violently until there was nothing left to throw up. It was only when the tremors stopped, leaving a vile, acidic taste in his mouth that he realized he was crying and his nose running. Zach struggled to get up, knees weak from emotion and throwing up.

He rummaged through the medicine cabinet, looking for his pills, struggling to make anything out through his tears, hands shaking violently. After 3 years of nightmares, he thought he had seen it all and it had left him numb. 3 years later and he still saw it happen again and again when he slept.

The Indominus looming over Gray, tears of fear streaming down his little face. His pleading eyes looking at nothing but Zach, burning a hole into his heart. _‘Zach…’_ His brother had died with his name on his lips. And then the sickening sound of tearing flesh and breaking bones as the monstrous beast killed him. The sight of blood running down its maw. He never knew such a little body could hold so much blood. The only consolation was that Gray's death had been instantaneous. He hardly felt a thing.

The Indominus stepping over to Zach, who was nailed to ground, unable to move, unable to comprehend what had just happened. The Indominus sniffing him as he stared blankly ahead, tears running down his face, the first sign of his brain trying to comprehend what had just happened. He never understood why she hadn’t killed him too. It had just turned around and left.

Was it because he was broken in that moment? Because he wasn’t ‘fun’ to kill? He knew she hunted for sport, Owen and Claire had told him that. Or was she actually so evil that she understood what she had done and actually wanted him to suffer from it? She couldn’t have. No matter how intelligent, she was still an animal. She couldn’t have known cruelty, could she?

It wasn’t until later that he realized his clothes had been soaked with his brother’s blood. It had leaked down from the Indominus’ stinking maw when she had smelled at him. He still kept those clothes, along with Zach’s ‘dork pack’ as he had called it, the only part to survive the onslaught. He didn’t know why he kept them, along with most of Gray’s old stuff. Whether it was a way of punishing himself or trying to keep some part of Gray alive, he didn’t know. And he didn’t care. He just wanted to remember him.

But that had all happened a long time ago. Right now, he was still fumbling with the cabinet. **FUCK!!!** He cursed loudly as he threw a random bottle against the wall, spilling its contents on the cold tile floor. Another hand reached past his, stronger and bigger than his, and grabbed a bottle. It filled a glass with water and gave it to him. He quickly swallowed the pills and slumped to the floor.

‘Thanks’ he whispered.

‘You’re welcome.’ The other man said as he sat behind Zach, wrapping his arms around him in a protective and loving manner.   
‘Another nightmare?’ He asked.

‘Yeah, I- I saved him this time…’ Zach paused a moment.  
‘Owen, I could have saved him!’ His sobbing increased, his small frame shaking heavily against Owen larger, muscular one. Zach was still skinny and he hadn’t grown much in 3 years’ time either. Mostly because of sleep deprivation and malnutrition. Another way of punishing himself.

‘Shhhhh’, Owen soothed him, his strong hand gently rubbing Zach’s head, making him feel safer. He couldn’t help it. Owen had a magic touch. He always felt safer around the older man. Protected. And he knew how to help him. He had experienced survivor’s guilt and PTSD first-hand after the Navy, and he knew how the help Zach.  
‘You couldn’t have. It’s not your fault. You are not to blame, not in any way. You couldn’t have saved him, you know that. No one could have.’

‘But I hadn’t gone of road, if I had just gone back when we were supposed to, then…’

‘No. You couldn’t have known what would happen, no one could have. Gray wouldn’t blame you either.’

Zach bit back another retort, knowing that Owen was right. It wasn’t his fault; it was his PTSD and his survivor’s guilt. Just like the psychiatrist kept telling him. He just had to ride this out until his pills kicked in. Thankful for Owen, he let his head fall back against his shoulder. Ever since the incident in the park, he had been there for him, helping him, guiding him. In fact, Owen had saved his life more than once since they got back to civilization.

He had been there for Zach when no one else could have. Aunt Claire had courtrooms and press conferences to go to and statements to give. She wanted to be there for him and they often Skyped, but she just didn’t have the time to really be there for him. Not like Owen. He spend most of his time with the teenager. He probably recognized the signs early on. He knew he needed help. But without Owen, he wouldn’t have gotten it.

His parents had dropped him like a brick. Gray had always been the favourite child as soon as he had been born. And with him gone, his parents were too busy grieving to care about him. They fought way more often too. They had only held back for Gray’s sake. Now their divorce was imminent, and it was getting ugly.

One time he had tried to break them up, saying that Gray wouldn’t have wanted them to fight like that, even if they were getting divorced. His mother had slapped his face and yelled at him. _‘How dare you talk about him! It’s your fault he’s dead! You should have protected him. Why couldn’t you have died instead?!’_ Horrified, he had looked to his father, but his face showed that he felt the same, even if he didn’t want to say it.

Zach had run outside, into the night, barefooted and without a jacket. Thankfully it had been a warm summer night. After 4 hours of aimlessly wandering, he had found himself on Owen’s doorstep. The man had bought a small house at the other end of the city to be closer to Zach. Unsure why, he had rang the bell. It was already starting to get light outside. Owen looked annoyed at someone ringing his door so early, but the moment he saw who it was, his face was filled with worry.

Zach’s face was red and his eyes puffy, the dried up traces of tears still on his cheeks, his toes blue from the cold. When he saw Owen, he fell into his arms before the other could ask questions or even react. He started crying again. He was surprised to have tears left after crying almost 3 hours non-stop.

After he had calmed down enough and Owen had carried him inside, he told him what had happened. Owen’s face grew hard and cold, and filled with anger. But he pushed it back. Zach needed him now and he was more important. He said he could come live with him. He was 18 now, so there shouldn’t be any legal issues. He carried Zach to his bed, who was now crying with joy.

Zach relaxed in the bed, still warm from Owen. It smelled like him too. Slightly musky and distinctly Owen. It made him feel safe and he was soon fast asleep. When he was out, Owen took his cellphone, which had fallen out of his pocket. Wanted to look up Zach’s house number, as he only had Zach’s personal number. He had expected it to be filled with missed calls, as should be norm when your child runs off barefooted in the middle of the night. There were none. Disbelieving he looked at the log. Empty besides his own number.

He found the number he needed and dialled it. When Zach’s father finally picked up, he gave him a piece of his mind and told him Zach would come and live with him.

A few days later, when his parents were off to work, Zach and Owen went back and packed all of his things and a good deal of Gray’s too. He didn’t want them to be become the object of more argument in the divorce. That would be the last thing Gray would have wanted.

Little by little, and with a lot of help from Owen, he managed to get something of a grip on his life and even managed to get a part-time job. Though they Owen could easily support them both with all the danger money from the Navy and the insurance money from the park, plus his own job, Zach didn’t want to be a burden.

He didn’t quite know when it happened, but somewhere along the way, they had become a couple. Zach vaguely remembered crawling next to Owen in the bed after a flashback and somewhere between the cuddling he had kissed the older man. He remembered him kissing back and himself asking for it. Saying that he needed it. That he needed to feel something other than pain and regret. And afterwards, blurting out that he loved Owen, and Owen smiling, kissing him again and saying he loved him back.

And that had been it. Now they were closer than ever and he felt safer and happier now that he had Owen lying next to him at night. Now that they had quick kisses passing by and amazing sex and cuddles whenever he wanted. His life had become more stable. And the doctors reassured him that even the nightmares would pass in time.

But right now, they were still happening. The reality of it all still haunted him. Owen picked him up bridal style and carried him to the couch. He put on Zach’s favourite cheer-up movie and lay down next to the younger man, holding him protectively in his arms. Thankful for the distraction, Zach focused on the movie and the strong arms wrapped around him.

After a while, and when his tears had stopped and the pills started working, Zach turned around to face Owen and kissed him gently. Owen ignored the acidic smell of his breath.  
‘Thank you’ he whispered, barely audible.

‘Always.’

‘I love you. ‘

‘I love you too.’  
Zach nuzzled against Owen’s warm chest and curled up, happy and thankful to have him as a part of his life.

**Author's Note:**

> Phew, first thing I wrote after a three years writers block. Major thanks to TinyTardis, whose fic gave me the idea for this and helped me take the first steps to becoming a writer again.


End file.
